Hi everyone,

I have a 1995 Volvo 850 T-5R Sedan with ~190k that I've been trying to get back up and running again in normal condition. I had left it with my folks and it had sat in their driveway with the battery connected for over 2 months.

By the time I came back and tried to start it up the battery obviously was dead and finally turned over after multiple attempts to crank it using a portable jump starter.

However, when it finally turned over, along with a lot of smoke and the smell of burnt oil, the "SERVICE" light on the instrument panel was flashing, and I noticed a sort of rattling sound sometimes coming from the exhaust when sometimes going over bumps. The other issue was that the engine would sometimes seem jerky around 1500-2000rpm when cruising on the highway.

I took it to a mechanic friend who said the voltage was barely above the minimum threshold for charging the battery and observed that the positive battery cable was hot to touch. So he swapped out the battery cable terminal, but that didn't solve the problem. In fact, soon after I left his place, I started stalling after taking off from traffic lights and from stop signs. Once I hit cruising speeds, the engine would jerk occasionally but would not stall.

Thinking this might be an alternator issue I had the alternator replaced, which improved the voltage readings but still had the same issue.


Due to work and family reasons, I let the car sit for another month (yeah, I know), and swapped out the battery 2 days ago for a fresh replacement. However the car refused to start even with the new battery. Instead, it kept cranking and cranking but refused to turn over. After a whole lot of cranking I could smell some fuel around the area of the car. I also noticed that there was some moisture in the engine bay as the hood had not been closed completely after the last time it had been opened (there was a slight gap on the passenger side of the hood). I sprayed some electrical contact cleaner on some of the electrical connections then vowed to try again the next day.

Yesterday, after some cranking I was finally able to start the car and take it for a drive. However, it still had the same issues with jerking and stalling. I noticed that the vacuum tube that went under the hose coming from the airbox (near where the MAF sensor is) was disconnected so I reconnected that.

I also noticed that the following cable from the EGR regulator(?)had broken off. I tried to reattach it by hand but it wouldn't stick. I'm not sure what the cable connects to, however. See attached for a pic.

I ran an OBDI and OBDII scan and got the following codes:

A2: 5-3-5 (TC Control Valve Signal)
P0245: (Turbo Wastegate Solenoid A Low)

Based on this info it looks like the issue might be the TC Control Valve Solenoid or cable connections but I've heard that vacuum leaks might also be responsible for this?


* * *

So, to summarize:

--Car took a long time and several prolonged cranking attempts to turn over after sitting for a few months, even after putting in a new battery. Now it turns over but still takes 2-3 seconds longer than normal.

--Car stalls about 50% of the time after taking off from a stop upon light acceleration. Seems to do this more when the engine is warm but not sure.

--Car stumbles but doesn't stall on low to medium acceleration once past ~1500rpm.

--Whitish/bluish smoke from the exhaust and a strong smell (car nearly always ran a little rich since purchased).

--Engine or turbo is definitely burning some oil and there is some oil residue on the hoses near the rear-driver's side of the engine.

--Car is throwing codes:

A2: 5-3-5 (TC Control Valve Signal)
P0245: (Turbo Wastegate Solenoid A Low)

--Service light on dash is flashing.

--An occasional rattling sound from the exhaust area somewhere underneath the car.

--The fuel pump and fuel pump relay seem ok.

--One vacuum leak was repaired but not sure if any others are there.

--One hose from the EGR regulator is currently broken, not sure what it connects to. Pic is attached.


Anyone have any advice or experience as to how to approach this short of dropping it off at the stealership? I'm guessing at this point it might be a turbo control valve solenoid, crankshaft sensor, camshaft sensor, leaky fuel injector, worn out spark plugs or wires, anything else I might be missing?

Thanks.

 

I just have two comments:
1. Fundamentals. This car sounds like it is in horrible shape and you need to think carefully about what and whether you are going to fix.
2. stalling "after taking off from a stoplight" is a very very strange symptom. If you said martians were in the backseat I could have understood that more easily. This ought to allow you to make a very specific diagnosis. however, you need to be more clear and detailed about what is going on.

 

1. Replace all vacuum hoses. Your brake boost vacuum hose is about to fail! That's the hose above the broken hose. You can tell the rubber is all deteriorated and about to fail.

2. Your battery cables are corroded, that's why it's HOT to touch. You need to replace them. I'd replace the ground cables too.

3. If your intercooler hoses are as bad shape as your vacuum hoses, you probably have a torn hose, maybe even two. Torn hose will cause the car to run bad.

4. Your PCV system is probably clogged.

5. Vacuum diagram is under your hood.


If you can't fix it yourself, your bill will probably be in the $1000 - $2000 range to fix everything. It might be a time to cut your lost and sell it.

 

Good point about the intercooler hoses. It's a very long way from the MAF to the engine, so if there is a leak anywhere in there your air measurement will be wrong. The rubber elbows are subject to rot. The one next to the throttle seems to be the worst. It has that sidearm on it for the idle control valve.

 

To explain the symptoms more clearly:

1) I drive down the road.
2) I see a red light.
3) I come to a stop.
4) The light turns green.
5) I step on the gas pedal.
6) The car coughs and sputters and dies.
7) I have to restart the engine and it catches after several seconds of cranking.
8) I step on the gas and it takes off again (most of time).

There is also some stumbling and surging when I depress the accelerator particularly between 1500-2000rpm. I can also hear some rattling or backfiring when I put it in reverse.

 

1. Thanks for the tip about the brake booster hose. Good eye. You're right, I would like to go ahead and replace all hoses, is there a kit or somewhere I can just buy a whole set (preferably silicone)? I've been looking online but it seems like there's only intercooler or vacuum tree sets and the rest you have to buy manually.

2. There was some corrosion at the end of the battery cable so we cut off the end and recrimped it with a new terminal. The voltage seems ok but I'm definitely planning on replacing the cables down the road.

3. Haven't seen any other torn hoses but will do a second inspection.

4. Had a tech look at the car over the summer and didn't see any signs of PCV clogging. Also ran the dipstick test and didn't see any smoke coming out of the dipstick or outward pressure from the oil filler cap (rubber glove test).

 

Thanks, took a look but didn't see any rips or holes. Will plan on replacing them as a precautionary regardless.

 

UPDATE:

The electrical cable going to the TCV was left unplugged, presumably by the last tech who worked on it. I cleaned the connectors and plugged it back in and there's some very slight improvement. Basically, when I depress the gas pedal after taking off a stop, the stumbles as if it's going to stall--but it doesn't. It basically coasts but doesn't accelerate and when I take my foot OFF the gas, the engine recovers. Really bizarre, never seen anything like this. Will test the MAF sensor next by seeing how it runs unplugged.

 

I had that happen, one of of my intake hose clamp was not tight.

If you are planning to replace, https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/vol...FQdqfgodgLsGnw


This also happened to me.

 

when was the last time you did a "stage 0" tune up? Try pulling a plug or two and do the color check... your stalling is likely due to a rich mixture or a cold spark but my experience with my 850T is a vacuum leak will throw codes pretty quickly. BTW, the "service" light on the 850 is the service interval - which you can reset using the OBD1 LED/jumper. You can try inspecting the MAF and idle valve and clean both and the intake with MAF cleaner, but I also agree with the recommendations to inspect for vacuum leaks (or do a smoke test).